How to Stop Doomscrolling: A Complete Guide to Breaking the Habit

You Know You Should Stop. So Why Can't You?

It's 11:47 PM. You told yourself you'd go to bed an hour ago. But here you are, thumb moving on autopilot, consuming content you won't remember tomorrow. You're not even enjoying it anymore—but you can't stop.

This is doomscrolling: the compulsive consumption of negative or endless content, usually on social media, even when it makes you feel worse. And if you're reading this, you probably already know you have a problem.

The good news? Doomscrolling isn't a character flaw. It's a predictable response to how these apps are designed. And once you understand the mechanism, you can break it. Experiments show that reducing social media use can lower loneliness and depression.^[1]

Why Doomscrolling Is So Hard to Stop

Social media apps use a psychological trick called variable ratio reinforcement—the same mechanism that makes slot machines addictive. You never know when the next scroll will reveal something interesting, so you keep scrolling "just one more."^[2]

Add to this:

• •Infinite scroll: No natural stopping point. The content never ends.
• •Autoplay: Videos start automatically, pulling you deeper.
• •Personalized algorithms: The app learns exactly what keeps YOU hooked.
• •Social validation: Likes and comments trigger dopamine hits.
• •FOMO: Fear of missing out keeps you checking "just in case."

Strategy 1: Add Friction Before You Scroll

The easier something is to do, the more you'll do it. Doomscrolling happens because opening social media takes zero effort. Add friction:

• •Delete apps from your phone (access via browser instead—it's clunkier)
• •Log out after each session so you have to log in again
• •Move apps to the last page of your home screen, inside folders
• •Use apps like One Sec that add a breathing delay before opening
• •Or use apps that block entirely until you complete a task

Strategy 2: Replace the Habit, Don't Just Remove It

Your brain reaches for your phone because it wants stimulation. If you just delete apps without providing an alternative, you'll reinstall them within days.

Find replacement behaviors that satisfy the same urge:

• •Bored? Have a book, podcast, or game ready that you actually enjoy
• •Anxious? Try a breathing app or short meditation
• •Lonely? Text an actual friend instead of passively consuming strangers' content
• •Tired? Actually go to bed—doomscrolling won't help

Strategy 3: Create Phone-Free Zones

Some situations are doomscrolling triggers. Remove the phone from these contexts entirely:

• •Bedroom: Charge your phone outside the room. Buy a $10 alarm clock.
• •Meals: Phone stays in another room during eating
• •First hour of morning: No phone until you've done one meaningful thing
• •Bathroom: Yes, really. This is a major doomscroll location for many people.

Strategy 4: Make Doomscrolling Cost Something

The most effective strategy is making doomscrolling have real consequences. This leverages loss aversion—your brain's tendency to work harder to avoid losing something than to gain something.

Options include:

• •Accountability apps like Accountable AI that add friction to social media and block it if you miss deadlines
• •Apps that charge you money for exceeding time limits
• •Telling someone your goal and checking in daily
• •Screen time bets with friends

What to Do When You Slip Up

You will slip up. Everyone does. The key is how you respond.

Don't: Beat yourself up, catastrophize ("I'll never change"), or give up entirely.

Do: Notice it without judgment, figure out what triggered it, and adjust your strategy. Maybe you need more friction. Maybe you need a better replacement activity. Maybe you were just exhausted and need more sleep.

Progress isn't linear. What matters is the overall trend.